Persistent Diarrhea and Eosinophilic Esophagitis Resulting From Chronic Cannabidiol Usage for Refractory Epilepsy

Maitri Patel; Jeremy P Middleton; Howard P Goodkin; Barrett Barnes; Emily McGowan; Ryan Eid

doi:10.1097/PG9.0000000000000253

Persistent Diarrhea and Eosinophilic Esophagitis Resulting From Chronic Cannabidiol Usage for Refractory Epilepsy

JPGN Rep. 2022 Sep 30;3(4):e253. doi: 10.1097/PG9.0000000000000253. eCollection 2022 Nov.

Authors

Maitri Patel¹, Jeremy P Middleton², Howard P Goodkin³, Barrett Barnes⁴, Emily McGowan^{5

6}, Ryan Eid⁶

Affiliations

¹ From the School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
² Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
³ Department of Neurology and Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
⁴ Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA.
⁵ Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA.
⁶ Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Abstract

Cannabidiol is used in the care of treatment-resistant epilepsy. It has been associated with varying side effects, ranging from somnolence to diarrhea and weight loss. We present a patient on chronic cannabidiol therapy who had persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and esophageal eosinophilia that improved with cannabidiol dose adjustment.

Keywords: cannabidiol; cannabinoid receptor 1; cannabinoid receptor 2; chronic diarrhea; eosinophilic esophagitis; esophageal eosinophilia; platelet activating factor; tetrahydrocannabinol; transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1.

Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.

Publication types

Case Reports